refurbish
verb
Did you know?
As seems proper given how English prefixes work, before you could refurbish something you could furbish it. That shorter word was borrowed into Middle English in the 14th century from Anglo-French as furbisshen; it shares a distant relative with the Old High German verb furben, meaning "to polish." In its earliest uses furbish also meant "to polish," but it developed an extended sense of "to renovate" shortly before English speakers created refurbish with the same meaning in the 17th century. These days refurbish is the more common of the two words, although furbish does continue to be used.
Examples of refurbish in a Sentence
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Other project goals include refurbishing the pedestrian overpass, building a sound wall along Hannibal Street and adding a signal at the westbound ramps at the Centennial Way Interchange.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
Paint rollers serve as toilet paper handles, reclaimed wood accents line the walls, and refurbished oil drums pose as outdoor seating.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Mar. 2026
Crystal’s two small ships, both refurbished in 2023 and accommodating 606 and 740 guests respectively, lead the industry in the amount of space per passenger.
—Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refurbish
Cite this Entry
“Refurbish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refurbish. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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refurbish
verb
